I have read Jewell's previous book and I really enjoyed it. This is why I was drawn to this new title. It was different from any other book I've read: sinister, melancholic and provocative. A recommended read for anyone interested in dark secrets and even more dark characters!

What a page turner! Filled with secrets and family drama this is a tensely plotted book that I devoured in one go. A house in Chelsea lies dormant except for 3 rotting corpses and a healthy, happy baby. If the residents have been dead for days, who's taken care of the baby? And what happened there? Decades later, Libby inherits the house and it's mysterious past. Can answers be found? Now if that description doesn't hook you I don't know what will! Gripping, dark and delightful, I loved it.

I’m really lucky in that I often get sent books to review several months before their publication date. I’m usually pretty good and add them to my reading schedule and plan to read them just before the launch date. When The Family Upstairs arrived on my kindle three months early I managed to restrain myself for about a week and then I had to read it straight away. I’ve been desperate to share it with you all for the last two months!

It is Libby’s 25th birthday. She has just been told by a solicitor that she has inherited a large expensive property in Chelsea. She had always known that she was adopted but Libby had no idea who her “real” family were. She soon discovers that the house has a dark history. She was discovered upstairs in a cot and there were three bodies downstairs, presumed to have died in a bizarre cult suicide pact.

The story is told from the perspective of three characters. Libby coming to terms with her new “past”, searching for information about her family and the house. Lucy lives on the street in the south of France. Her existence is solely to try and provide for her kids and keep them away from her abusive ex-husband. When a calendar alert reminds her that “the baby” is now 25 she realises that she has to do anything that she can to get back to Chelsea. Henry is the cool and collected narrator. He lived in the house and knows exactly what happened to the inhabitants and how they ended up in the black robes in the kitchen. He is not always the most reliable voice.

Jewell has always been fantastic at conjuring up fantastically three dimensional characters and making them leap off the page. With her most recent books she has moved more to a darker type of book with a twist and The Family Upstairs has this in spades. Once I started reading it was a real struggle to put it down and go to work! Clear your diary, make yourself comfortable. The Family Upstairs is waiting for you…

Supplied by Net Galley and Random House UK in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to thank Random House UK/Cornerstone and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Family Upstairs’ by Lisa Jewell in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Libby who was adopted when a baby has been left an inheritance by her birth family, a house in Cheyne Walk SW3. On researching the history of the house, Libby discovers that the bodies of Henry and Martina Jones and another man were found in the kitchen and a well-nourished ten-month-old baby was in a cot upstairs - Libby was the baby and her name was Serenity Jones.

When I started reading ‘The Family Upstairs’ it sounded exciting and the type of thriller I’d enjoy and although the start was promising it wasn’t enough to keep me reading, in fact I fell asleep in the middle of it! I’ve reached the half-way mark and realised that I’m not interested in any of the characters, or what happened in 16 Cheyne Walk, and I have no desire to continue. From reading other reviews I must be the only reader who hasn’t liked this book which is a pity as I’ve read others by Lisa Jewell which I’ve enjoyed, but this one just didn’t grab my imagination.

What a strange but interesting book. More twists than you could possibly guess. Well worth a place on your bookshelf.

Another cracking book by Lisa Jewell that kept me up at night sweating! A psychological thriller that messes with your head and has your stomach in knots - what more can you ask for?

Compelling and creepy with characters who you couldn’t quite work out. It’s a fine book that I’d recommend to anyone who likes the thrill of wondering what’s rustling in the trees on a dark night.

Brilliantly plotted and written psychological thriller, with plenty of creepy bits! I love the way the time frames and different narrators really add to the story instead of just being a device. All the ends are nicely tied at the end except for the last couple of paragraphs. Great read, totally hooks you in.

Soon after her 25th birthday Libby Jones receives notification that she has inherited a large, 8 bedroom house in Chelsea, London.  It has been held in trust for her since she was a baby.  Libby has always known she was adopted, but soon finds out that what she thought had happened to her parents was never true, and in reality her past is a lot darker than she would ever have guessed.

Another NetGalley read, I requested this one because it sounded really interesting.  Goodreads doesn't sell it so well, but I decided the NetGalley description was enough. I wasn't disappointed.

I found the story really easy to get into.  We start with meeting Libby as she gets the notification that she's inherited the house.  That in itself was mystery enough to spark my interest, and then the story builds very quickly from there on out.  It moves at a decent pace, with the reader finding out a little bit more with each chapter. I enjoyed the way the chapters are written from different points of view, each giving us a different insight or perspective to what happened at the house and how Libby became abandoned.

There's a very sinister undertone running throughout the book, and the main characters have all clearly been affected by what happened in the house.  I think Jewell does a brilliant job of describing how the children came to be in the situation they were, and what was going on in their house.

There's plenty of minor twists and turns here, so you never fully know what is coming or trust what you're reading.  In some instances you're not sure if characters are who they say or who you think they are, and whether they are telling the truth or spinning a tale.  Jewell has some clever ways of sowing seeds of doubt in your mind.  All put together it makes for a very compelling read, despite being uncomfortable and even downright disturbing in places.  This was only the second book I've read by Lisa Jewell, but I'll be watching out for more.

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for an arc in exchange for an honest review

OMG this book actually gave me the fear! It is extremely dark and creepy, and the thought of being trapped with some of these horrible characters made me terrified.
It really is an excellent read, I love Lisa Jewell as an author and I would highly recommend this one. It is terrifying how some of the characters seemed to be drawn into a cult like existence without questioning what they were getting into. The selfishness of the adults really angered me, I felt so sorry for the children getting caught up in the madness!
Just brilliant - a must read.

Lisa Jewell ventures into horror infested psychological thriller territory in this disturbing and unsettling novel. 25 years ago in Chelsea, London, the police enter 16 Cheyne Walk, the mansion of the wealthy Lambs, the home of the famous Martina, wife, model and mother, with her young children, Henry and Lucy. What they discover is the dead, decomposing bodies of the Lamb parents, and that of another mystery man, with a note that suggests a cult suicide, but strangely they find a 10 month old baby alive and well cared for, Serenity Lamb, who is later to be adopted. There were rumours of other children residing at the place but no trace of them has ever been uncovered. In the present, it is Libby Jones 25th birthday, her ordinary life of working in sales of designer kitchens, living under tight financial straits in her small flat, is to be rocked when out of the blue she learns she is the sole inheritor of a large Chelsea mansion, she has become an extremely rich young woman.

When she visits the house with the solicitor, she finds it in a dilapidated condition with a creepy atmosphere as she learns of what happened there 25 years ago. She becomes more afraid when she hears the sounds of someone upstairs and leaves the place abruptly, determined to discover all she can about what happened there. Libby is aided by her work colleague, Dido, and journalist, Miller Roe whose life was destroyed by his obsession with the story. In the South of France in Nice, an impoverished single mother is living hand to mouth with her two children from different fathers, Marco and Stella. She busks as a fiddle player, worn out by the life she lives, which includes periods of homelessness but she is now keen to take her family to London. In the past, a young Henry with his strong sense of entitlement is find his future and that of his family shockingly derailed when his mother invites a pop star, Birdie Dunlop-Evers, and David Thomsen, with his family, wife, Sally, and their children, Clemency and Phin to live in their home temporarily, only for them to end up staying permanently. Thomsen, the usurper, is authoritarian, cruel, and manipulative as he tightens his hold on the household as the lives of those who reside there descend into horror and a nightmarish hell.

Jewell writes a gripping and compulsive novel in which a menacing insanity takes hold of the lives of the children in Cheyne Walk, culminating in their broken and traumatised, emotionally damaged psyches. Libby is to find her life changed forever as she learns of the secret family histories of her newly inherited mansion. This is the most twisted and darkest of books, as revelation after revelation unfolds, which makes for an uncomfortable but never less than a compelling reading experience. Many thanks to Random House Cornerstone for an ARC.

We're in "best yet" territory here in my opinion. This title is quite a bit darker than previous outings but just as compelling. Some of the plot lines require you to suspend critical thought a little bit I can live with that. This is one to keep you glued to your sun lounger and burning the midnight oil! The contemporary fiction / thriller market is pretty crowded at the moment but you can never go wrong with Lisa Jewell.

The Family Upstairs is a fabulous thriller of a book about brother and sister Henry and Lucy Lamb who live in an opulent mansion in Chelsea very happily until one day two strangers knock on the door and move into their home and their lives become a living hell. Ok the first chapters seem a bit confusing with different characters and timelines but everything soon fits into place and wow what a roller coaster of a ride this story is I absolutely loved it .Thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Gripping, chilling and creepy, this is real edge of your seat stuff and I absolutely loved every sinister minute of it. Ms Jewell draws you into an atmosphere dripping with malevolence and there’s no getting out of it until your done.

So, close the curtains, lock your door, curl up in your comfy chair and get ready to meet The Family Upstairs, you won’t regret it.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of Lisa Jewell, and this latest novel is truly brilliant. Her characters are so well written and true to life.
This story grabbed my attention from the opening pages, and did not let me go until the end. I was thoroughly engrossed in the story, which had intriguing mysteries and clever plot twists.
The Family Upstairs is a compelling read, Lisa has written another truly fantastic book and I would thouroughly recommend this book to everyone.

Wow, another amazing page turner from Lisa Jewell!

Like other Lisa Jewell classics, it's no holds barred in terms of difficult subjects covered; with a storyline concerning multiple families and timelines, you never know what (or who) is going to be around the next corner.

It's a great read for on the beach, the sun lounger, or just in the back garden - you won't want to put this one down!

Ooooh where to begin with this book, a friend of mine told me to push to the top of my TBR list which I did and I am so glad, I literally could not put this book down until the very last word, I was completely invested from the getgo!.

Told from the POV of Libby, Lucy and Henry both past and present, the story begins with Libby having received a letter from a solicitors firm on her 25th Birthday telling her of her inheritance. Libby was adopted from a baby and knows nothing of her past other than her parents died, when she reads the solicitors letter, she is bowled over, she has inherited an eight bedroom mansion (for what of a better word) in the heart of Chelsea… dumbstruck… absolutely!

However Libby wants to discover who her parents were and what happened to her siblings… as she unravels the past, has she got more than she bargained for….. an absolute rollercoaster of a ride for Libby ensues! Unfortunately to say more would be to ruin the story for others but suffice to say that it’s a chillingly dark psychological thriller with many twists and turns, clear your diary, you will want to read this in one go!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone Century for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book!

In a beautiful house in Chelsea lives a normal family until another (dysfunctional) family moves in. What follows is a very dark and mysterious tale of relationships, greed, jealousy and ultimately murder when a baby is found abandoned in her cot upstairs and downstairs lay three dead bodies.

This book drew me in from the start, the author’s atmospheric description of the house and the events unfolding made this story come alive in my mind. I could feel the tensions building between all of the characters and most of the time I was holding my breath in anticipation, or terror, at what was going to happen next.

Really enjoyed this book. I felt it was a bit different and kept me captivated and engrossed throughout. Recommend as a read!

A fabulously dark, creepy and compulsive read, this book is an exciting page turner that kept me thoroughly engaged and I finished it in 2 days. Told through three separate stories that come together well at the end, this book is an easy read that I found hard to put down. I loved this one
5/5🌟

*Thanks to NetGalley and Century for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* I was so excited to discover that Lisa Jewell had another book out. I have loved a number of her previous works, such as 'Then She Was Gone' and 'The Girls in the Garden'. This book, 'The Family Upstairs' felt a little different to her previous novels, but was thoroughly engaging, nonetheless. The book is told from a number of points of view and across different time periods. Whilst this can seem a little hard to follow at first, it definitely pays off as the story unfolds and the pieces fall into place. When Libby Jones turns 25, she discovers that she has inherited a fancy house in London. However, all is not as it seems and she attempts to unravel the mystery of her past. The book provides excellent insight into the human soul and how easily people can be influenced to act against their own good. An incredible and at times, creepy read. I look forward to what Lisa Jewell will write next.